Taking a Stand

Where do you stand when elected officials move to change the Constitution without giving you a say in that process? Where do you stand when public Oregon Coastal property is being auctioned off to the highest bidder because a former Governor said it was a priority – before he left office in disgrace? Where do you stand when a majority party decides that your underaged daughter may receive an abortion – and you will get a copy of the billing with no reference as to what it is for? Where do you stand when elected officials determine that the best way to increase revenue is to overrule a vote of the people and move to keep tax dollars that according to law are to be returned to Oregonians? Where do you stand when that same majority party passes gun laws that do nothing but put law-abiding citizens in danger? Where do you stand when the majority party has decided that small business does not carry enough of the “burden” for this state so increasing the minimum wage, having the employer pay for sick leave, installing flex time on a business owner – the list goes on! Where do you stand?

On Thursday this last week – May 21, 2015 – two legislators from Portland put forth a bill – HB 3555 – that would “keep your kicker”. Apparently Representative Tobias Read and Representative Kathleen Taylor believe it is okay to overrule your vote. Oregonians passed a Constitutional Amendment in the 90’s that set up a system to return tax monies to Oregonians if the actual revenue raised exceeded the forecast revenue. Well – the Democrats want that money and they aim to get it! Would it make a difference to you if you knew that this budget cycle there was over $2 billion additional monies over and above what they had last budget cycle to spend? I believe the majority party held back dollars in the budgeting process for schools with the full intention they could propose additional monies for our educational system when they “robbed” Oregonians of their tax “kicker”. What is wrong with these people – and what is wrong with this ongoing picture? There is never enough money to satisfy their ferocious appetite for dollars.

I don’t have to say much about SB 941 – that is the gun bill that was passed or more correctly pushed through the legislature this session. No one wants criminals or mentally disturbed individuals to have guns. And good legislation may have come about if there had been discussion on SB 941 – but that is not the case. SB 941 will not keep one gun out of the hand of a criminal – they buy or steal their guns – illegally. Does anyone really think that a criminal is going to come into an FFL and have a background check – really? All this bill does is make it so that law-abiding gun owners can no longer loan a gun for hunting, leave guns with friends or neighbors for safe keeping, sell a gun to an acquaintance without incurring hundreds of dollars of expense, undergoing background checks for loaning the guns and then for having them returned – and oh yes – that registry. Yes folks the guns will be registered each time you transfer a gun to a friend for safe keeping or loan a gun to a friend to go hunting. Terrible legislation, a horrendous use of time and money by elected officials – not to mention another notch in the belt of those who wish to infringe on your Second Amendment Rights.

The blatant attack on small business this legislative session is surpassed only by the arrogance and absolute blind pride of the individuals proposing the legislation. Somewhere in their universe it was decided that small business owners can handle all the burden of what they see as a deficit in the state coffers. The $15 an hour minimum wage is at the top of the list. Would someone please explain to me that if the theory that increasing the minimum wage will solve many of the issues of the working public then why isn’t Oregon at the top of the list when it comes to economy and at the bottom of the list when it comes to numbers of individuals on state services? Oregon raises their minimum wage January 1st of each and every year and has one of the highest minimum wages in the nation – it hasn’t worked folks – and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour will not solve all the issues they seem to believe it will solve. Oregon ranks at the very top of the list for the number of people on state systems – welfare, food stamps, Oregon Health Plan, Oregon Trail Card etc. Wake up and smell the roses – what we need is more businesses doing business – but instead the Democrats have decided that attacking the very hand that feeds them will answer their problems.

It is always interesting to view the House and the Senate and count the number of elected officials who presently own or have ever owned their own business. Most of the Democrats – in particular – appear to have only ever signed the back of a paycheck!

I realize this has been a bit of a rant. Being here on a daily basis during the Oregon Legislative Session puts a bit of a different view than many of our Oregon friends and family get to see. They may experience the tail end of this type of legislation – many when session is over and those small business owners get notification of the damage caused, or learn they will not be receiving that “kicker” they voted on, or they can’t loan a gun to a friend for hunting and a myriad of other new laws.

Your vote does matter – it truly counts. Know who you are voting for and what they will do when pressured to change their votes during session. We need individuals who will not weaken or trade for a “treat” for their district. Yes that does happen at the state level too. We need solid financially conservative individuals who will hold their ground when the going gets tough. It is a lot to ask but we need to ask that our elected officials do not bend to undue pressure – we need to know where they stand. Where do you stand? It is time to take a stand.

If you are unwilling or unable to come to the Capitol to personally stand up to these individuals who are causing such havoc in this state, then do it at the ballot box. Vote – your vote does count. Elect officials who are going to do the right thing for Oregonians and Oregon.

Call – the 800 number for the Capitol is 800-332-2313. The Governor’s Office number is 503-378-4582. You will find email addresses of every elected Representative and Senator here: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/